


Time Curious Time (This String is Red)

by orphan_account



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: ? - Freeform, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, F/M, Fluff, I needed an outlet, I'm Sorry, LMAO, Meet-Cute, Plot Twists, Reader-Insert, Songfic, conveniently I have a small crush on Hong Jisoo, folklore is the best album ever, taylor saved our souls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25633750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It was, whatever.At least, that's what y/n would answer whenever the relationship between her and Joshua was called into question.And really, who's business was it but theirs?
Relationships: Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	Time Curious Time (This String is Red)

**Author's Note:**

> Were there clues I didn't see-eeeee XD
> 
> Idk maybe this'll be fun, maybe it won't. I wanna write smth super light-hearted and not stress myself out.

Since the start, it had always been a quiet, subtle thing.

Late nights during Fridays were usually spent on casual drinking with coworkers. Not too much or too little, just enough to be fun. Happy hour always was.

Though stumbling into _him_ during one of those late nights had not been on the itenerary.

'Him' being the man you'd seen a couple of times at this dive bar. At this joint, most of the faces were familiar enough that everyone kind of knew each other anyway.

(He was a Korean-American man with a sucker punch kind of smile, and you've noticed him for a while now.)

You wouldn't forget that it had been a warm night, and the uniform you were still wearing stuck to your skin. Althea, one of your coworkers, had just drunk herself to oblivion and the glass in her hand was tipping over.

"I can't—" she hiccuped, "—done, I'm done— I'm not drunk enough for this _god_ ,"

"There, there," Sal patted her back, then exchanged a look with you. "Look, it's not the end of the world if the boss gets married alright?"

"But I'm in love with him!" she blubbered. 

"You fall in love with a different guy every month Thee," you interjected.

"That's different! Seungcheol is my one true love! I'll never get over him," she moaned. "I need another drink Hank! And make it stronger!"

Over at the bar, Hank the bartender was standing and looking sympathetically at Althea.

"Oh no you won't! We're taking you home right now," Sal said. "And you're gonna go to your bed and go to sleep. And when you wake up in the morning, you're gonna clear your head and think straight."

"You- you're such a- ugh! This isn't fair!" 

As you were getting up, trying to help Sal, Althea's motions started getting more aggressive.

"Hey–!" You screamed, as Althea had shaken your hold on her off, and you had literally bowled into somebody sitting on one of the stools of the bar.

Both of you landed on the floor, your side cushioned by someone who had let out a groan.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" You exclaimed, mortified, sitting up ans standing before turning around to see the victim who cushioned your fall.

Your cheeks reddened when you realized just who it was.

(Stumbling might have been putting it lightly. It sounded cuter though, when you had to explain how you met him to other people.)

Ah shit.

"Yeah, feeling that way too," he muttered, determinedly staying down on the floor.

His eyes met yours, and you felt yourself flush.

You realized you said your words aloud and then promptly felt embarrassed. You held a hand out.

"For what it's worth, I'm really sorry," you said as he eyed your hand. Evidently, he decided to grasp it and get up anyway.

"It's okay. I get it. Er, saw it. And I think your friends... uh..."

Unbeknownst to you, Sal had narrowly dodged another hit from Althea while you had been floored. Then, Althea had somehow ended up on the otherside of the bar, where Hank was now controlling the situation. 

As much as he could with a wild Althea on the loose anyway.

You rubbed the space between your eyes. 

Sheepish, you turned to look at the guy who had now migrated back to his stool.

"Yeah. Them. Sorry, again."

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind being floored by a knock out anyway," he had commented offhandedly.

What? Was that?

"I'm not."

"Not what?" 

"A knock out. I don't KO people in bars, usually. Sal is kind of the more threatening one in our trio."

When he laughed, your heart jumped up. His eyes were so pretty.

God, he was so pretty.

"—you come here often?"

"Huh?"

"When you come back," he said with a blinding grin. "And I know you will. Because I see you everytime I come here. Anyway, I'll see you around and then we can... maybe get coffee sometime yeah?"

It was a warm night. The air cooled your flushed cheeks when you are finally exited the dive bar with Sal and Althea. 

"Girl, you okay?" Sal asked, as whatever energy Althea had been high on was gone now and she was dazedly holding on—or rather Sal was holding onto her. 

"Today's just been very eventful." You said with a grin. "Boss announced his engagement. I've got a... hm."

"'Hm'? What's this 'hm' missy, I also have eyes and I've got two of them! One on Thee and the other on you."

"That doesn't sound right grammatically at all," you said thoughtfully. "One on thee and the other on you."

Sal rapped her fingers onto my skull. 

"Is it a date 'hm'?"

"It's... whatever."

* * *

Surprisingly, he wasn't there during the next few times you and your coworkers had gone back.

You were strangely disappointed, but there was a lot of things keeping you distracted so you didn't dwell on it too much.

One of those things was Althea freaking out as the day of Boss Scoups wedding drew nearer.

"-and she's so nice too!" Althea had groaned. "If she was a bitch, then I wouldn't feel bad calling her one but she isn't and I really like her and she's really good for him you know?"

It was another Friday night, and nights were cooler now. Meaning, you were sitting on your freezing hands.

This specific Friday night however, you were in an open balcony reception hall. The wind was not kind today.

Dress code was strictly formal. You were sure you were going to die of frostbite. After Althea's tirade, she went to look for the restroom.

"I bet she's going to be crying when they do their first dance," you lean in to say to Sal.

Sal snorted.

"I'm not taking that bet."

"Ha, afraid?"

"Nah, just not stupid. I bet she's going to be their number one fan before the night ends."

You were about to reply before a glimpse of—

Eyes that reminded you of a warm night.

"That guy knows boss too?"

Of course, 'that guy' was Joshua. Whose name you now knew... thanks to Hank. Who wouldn't say anything else apart from his name, and the fact he wasn't a regular. Just someone who came and went occassionally to the bar.

"What guy?"

"Turn around."

Sal's voice was deadpan as she said, "An amazing coincidence. Coincidentally, the third guy over there is also my soulmate. Wanna bet on that?"

"Oh my god did he see me?" you panicked, noticing that he was coming over. "What do I look like? Do I look okay?"

Sal eyed you for a moment, before nodding fiercely.

"I am going to go to the restroom. To check on Thee you know," she said casually, getting up. Then she turned to wink at you, before sashaying away.

"Hello again, girl from the bar," Joshua had an easy grin on his face.

"Hello yourself," you smiled. "You know Mr. Choi?"

"We were good friends in college," he nodded. "How do you know him?"

"He's kind of my boss."

"Oh! So that's why. What do you do in his company?"

And before either of you knew it, Sal came back with Althea and you realized he had been standing the whole time.

"I think I'm always saying sorry when you're around." You laugh when Joshua is settled beside you. After, you know, checking with the seating arrangments. And also, because Joshua asked Boss Scoups.

"It's only our second meeting. Although I can see why you think so," he has a smile in his voice and you don't know why it feels so soothing. "They say third time's the charm. I'm Joshua Hong, by the way,"

"Oh I know. I'm y/n l/n," you reply before you realized and flushed again.

"Oh? And how did you know, Miss y/n?" Joshua teased.

"I asked Hank."

"Selling him out so quickly? Anything else he told you about me?"

"Other than you aren't a regular customer? Nothing."

"That's no fun. Not even the drink I usually get there?"

"Not even that was disclosed."

"Hank's the best." He lifted his glass.

You nodded, and lifted your glass to clink it in agreement. "Indeed he is."

"So when are you gonna introduce us, hm?"

Sal's voice came from the other side, complimented by Althea's giggles.

Before you said anything, Joshua had already spoken.

"I remember you two... I guess I should thank you," he nods.

"Why?" Sal queries.

"One of you knocked y/n into me and now we know each other."

You talked a lot that night. The conversation ended with a phone number and a text message that read:

> Tonight was fun! Can't wait to see you for coffee on Sunday :)

* * *

After that, everything was great. You gained a new friend...

Then seeds were planted... and you had seemed to have fallen into a... purgatory in a sense.

Less bloody and full of screams of course. More like a... purgatory of sunshine and flowers and walking on the clouds but then realizing this wasn't a mutually exclusive thing and sometimes he would be gone for _months_ and—

It was a whatever thing.

You didn't want to admit that you didn't exactly wanna put a label onto it. 

You were friends. You might have called it a crush but like, who didn't have a crush on Joshua Hong? 

He was too beautiful to be even real.

You were content to stay friends, because it was safe. You wouldn't lose him this way.

Then Boss Scoups had to be nosy, and ask Joshua why he had dropped by the office to see you.

So this... at least now you knew what purgatory felt like. You could pay penance if it meant that things would stop feeling so _awkward_.

> y/n you there?

You glanced down at your phone, as Althea ranted about another coworker in their office.

"-she doesn't know her place! Boss is taken and super happy and she shouldn't be trying to mess it up!" 

"It is pretty scummy to target a married man," Sal agreed. "Especially when it's boss. It's not his fault he's a babe-magnet though."

"That's so true!" Althea groaned. "Ugh nevermind _her_. The conference meeting on Monday is going to be total hell."

"Don't worry about something like that on a weekend." You say, closing your phone.

> Wanna explain why Boss told me you were married already?

**Author's Note:**

> HAHAHAHA I SWEAR this was supposed to be a "cute and fun and all the fluff under the sun" fic but this idea just... idk.... maybe i don't know how to end it. But this is the end. HAHAHAHAHA


End file.
